For The Love Of Port

Do you feel that the level of acidity is more important in Port wine than tannins? How important to you is it for a Port to have a good amount of acidity? More or less important than tannins?

Equal. Either out of balance causes the entire wine to be lesser.

Balance is important but I think acidity plays a smaller role in Port than the tannins. My perception is that the tannins diminish faster than the acidity as the Port ages so having a good doese of tannins when young is important. I rarely encounter a Port I would characterize as high acidity. I think the sugar helps counteract the tannins, and the alcohol helps balance the sugar, all that's needed is a little acidity to keep everything in check.

Yes, I think it's important to have good acidity in Ports to help carry it as it ages and give it that lift it needs so it doesn't become syrupy. Of course as Eric mentioned it needs to be balanced. But good acidity is one of the things I look for in young VP's.

The acidity is really important if the wine is going to have structure and poise when it into its venerable old age. Generally, by the time a port reaches around its 50th birthday all of the tannins will have melted away to leave the secondary and / or tertiary fruit flavours, the sugar and sweetness and only the acidity to balance these out.

Without the acidity, the wine will be flabby and lifeless - like drinking warm water with muscvado sugar dissolved in it (think Royal Oporto 1963).

With too much acidity, the wine can be fruity and interesting in the way that eating an unsugared grapefruit in the morning is fruity and interesting - in the eye watering sense (the 1815 Royal Oporto that Roy had for his 50th birthday was like that).

But with just the right balance, you have a perfect combination of fudge and caramelised orange flavours, kept alive by a sparkle citrus juice. Simply delicious. This is what you find in the best bottles from the leading vintages, like the Cockburn 1912.

But there is absolutely no way that I can taste a port young and know whether it has the right amount of acidity to reach that perfect balance point in 90 years time.

I am an acid freak and that is why I love Chablis, Italian wines in general, German Riesling, Champagne and especially Madeira.

That said, I agree with just about everybody here.

Alex hit the nail squarely on the head about the old Ports having the requisite acidity after the tannins have fully polymerized. Phenols, including tannins, have the ability to polymerize, or associate, with themselves and other compounds, including anthocyanin pigments. That is why there is often times a correlation to the color fading along with the tannins and vice versa.

Structurally, the mature VP or even an older Tawny or Colheita require a solid dose of acidity or there will be a lack of balance. Acidity may ultimately be more important than the tannins ... for long term balance. In my opinion, tannins are the horse that gets the VP to the finish line. The acidity is ultimately, the VP's heart beating.

I understand Alex's point about young Ports and acidity. I pay a ton of attention to acidity though and find it important to seek out the acidity in infant Ports when determining or guesstimating a drinking window. Then again, Alex is much more into drinking mature Ports and does so frequently ... while I must suffer with all the nubile cask samples. I know he tried them this year and got a chance to see how much fun that is.

Roy Hersh wrote:I am an acid freak and that is why I love Chablis, Italian wines in general, German Riesling, Champagne and especially Madeira.

That said, I agree with just about everybody here.

Love acidic wines as well.

Roy Hersh wrote: In my opinion, tannins are the horse that gets the VP to the finish line. The acidity is ultimately, the VP's heart beating.

Yeap agree 100%, David Spriggs gets the credit for teaching me about the importance of acidity in young Ports and how right he was. Like I mentioned this is one of things I really pay close attention to in any wine, and young Ports especially. The down side, this is one thing that also makes them difficult to drink when so young. The 2007 VP's are a good example, being such a cool year, they have such acidity to them they are tough to drink.

Andy Velebil wrote: The 2007 VP's are a good example, being such a cool year, they have such acidity to them they are tough to drink.

I think you will find they are not too tough to drink if you put your mind to it

Acidity is something I have not paid much attention to until recently. I asked a few people with palates that I respect for some advice in advance of tasting the 2007 cask samples and a recurring theme in the advice that came back was the importance of acidity in ensuring a long life. Despite the quip above, I agree with andy that the 2007 VPs seem to have good to high acidity levels.

As ever, I have leaned something new from reading the above posting from Alex B - the next time I drink a Ferriera 1815 I will remember to note the relative acidity

One of the things I have really been trying to impress upon Glenn, as I assist in honing his VP palate ... with the rudimentary foundation of what to look for in cask samples ... is the core of acidity. For those that only drink Port and no table wines, there is little difference. ALL WINE is made better by the proper acidity level. I do not believe that any other single component besides NOT having a flaw or NOT having fruit ... is as important as having the requisite acidity level, without which, a wine has no raisin d'etre (yes, I realize it is raison).

Roi
It's spelled raison d'être

Derek T. wrote:

Andy Velebil wrote: The 2007 VP's are a good example, being such a cool year, they have such acidity to them they are tough to drink.

I think you will find they are not too tough to drink if you put your mind to it

I see Senior Derek. And you did quite well..... with a little encouragement :joker: